Security experts offer you their knowledge about VPN, online anonymity, privacy, security, Smart DNS and unblocking websites. You will also find the latest news and promotions that we run here at CactusVPN.

Pandora is a US-based music streaming service that gives you access to thousands of hours of music from some of the best artists. This prime service is available as a full version in the US. However, most countries get limited or no access due to copyright restrictions. In this post, we’ll be showing you how you can get Pandora unblocked when you’re outside of the US.Continue reading

Spotify is a popular music platform that lets you access thousands of songs from a multitude of artists. It also allows you to tailor-make your own playlist and let it play for hours at a time. It brings with it unlimited customization, as well as the freedom to listen to music from any device that has an internet connection. But what about the restrictions against this service applied by your school? Or the regional licence agreements that prohibits access to the platform? In this post, we’ll look at how to get Spotify unblocked at school or anywhere else using a VPN service.Continue reading

What are proxy servers?

Proxy servers are machines that act as intermediaries to guide the internet traffic from a computer through a remote server which in the end accesses the user’s desired online destination. They filter or authenticate the content the client seeks to access, before granting the request. Any info you send or receive goes through a proxy server first.Continue reading

You may have heard of VPNs by now, or even used one in a business context. But did you know that, besides allowing you to connect to your work network while outside the office, a VPN may be a useful, smart bonus to your personal endeavors? In other words, if you haven’t already, you might want to try using a VPN at home, too, since VPN advantages surpass by far its disadvantages when it comes to Internet browsing and sensitive data protection. Continue reading

Browsing the internet via a VPN isn’t an option reserved solely for business purposes or travelling occasions. You may not be completely aware of it, but a VPN is a great solution for protecting your personal data whenever you’re online – which is probably most of the time nowadays, right? But how does VPN security work, anyway? Luckily, you don’t have to be a tech expert to set up a VPN and benefit from all its advantages. Continue reading

In a world where your personal data is a highly valuable commodity, it’s become increasingly important to be safe . In other words, to do everything you can to protect data essential to you against prying eyes. And since email continues to be one of the most popular ways to keep in touch with your loved ones and your business partners, you may find it useful to learn how to encrypt an email. Find our tips below! Continue reading

If you’re just a normal internet user and don’t have a lot of technical knowledge about how the internet works and how you can become a victim of hackers without even know it then you need to read this article to find out what is IP spoofing and how you are able to stop hackers from attacking you. Continue reading

The advent of Internet and the steep rise, in recent years, of social media and e-commerce gave birth to a brand new, unknown before, type of threat: online scams. As expected, the increasing use of online platforms meant, as well, the expansion of online scams which nowadays are as diverse as they are numerous. Continue reading

While it might sound cute and harmless, POODLE SSL Exploit is the exact opposite. POODLE SSL Exploit is a hacking method that can give third parties access to what you are transmitting online and allowing them to crack through encryptions. This attack is able to exploit the weakness in the encryptions used to protect the HTTPS protocol. Continue reading

There are plenty of things to discuss when it comes to online privacy and surfing the web unhinged by any geo-restrictions forcefully imposed. There are a lot of websites that offer software capable of shielding you from everything bad, but this doesn’t mean it’s true. Continue reading

VPN solutions have popped up like mushrooms after rain, especially given the increasing level of internet surveillance and use of geo-restriction. Whether you’ve been already using VPN for your personal computer or not, it’s only natural that you’d want the device closest and dearest to you (you guessed it right, your phone!) to be equally protected and safe. There are many solutions for this out there, with many claiming to be the “best VPN for Android”. But before making any hasty decisions, let’s take a closer look at the processes behind the technological curtain. Continue reading

The Internet freedom took yet another blow as VPN apps have been deleted from China’s App Store. These have been vastly used in the past years by internet users, in their attempt to overcome the strict censorship system.

According to Apple officials, the VPN apps contain content that is illegal in this country, violating therefore Apple’s policies and which finally led to their removal from the Chinese version of the App Store. Continue reading

Apple has made it abundantly clear since the introduction of iOS 8 in 2014, that all their devices are encrypted and therefore protected against hackers and thieves. But is that all you need in order to have your online privacy and sensitive data protected or do you also need a VPN for iPhone? Let’s find the answer together by exploring all aspects below.Continue reading

The Parliament voted a bill in Russia on Friday, which would outlaw any web tools that allow Internet users to bypass officially banned websites and access restricted content. This is the latest step Russia has taken in the effort of tightening online services control and has been justified as a necessary measure against extremist content that’s been spreading in online communities.Continue reading

Dear friends. There’s a serious and troubling topic we want to approach in this article. It seems that, until recently, a lot of VPN users were tricked in to use malicious Android VPN apps. This matter is even more concerning as it puts a bad reputation to VPN services in general, even though many of them deliver quality services. The good news is that CactusVPN, will stand by you, like always, with reliable services that you can definitely trust. And that’s why we think it’s important to tell you more about this scandal and to clear things out in the name of our well deserved good reputation.Continue reading

You might have heard these days that China bans VPN providers. Well, only the ones that are not approved by the government, so practically it’s true. China just made another move against online privacy and free browsing by starting a 14 month national campaign against unauthorized internet connections, including VPN providers, only Chinese for now. This is yet another attempt to strengthen the Great Firewall of China which is designed to ensure control and censorship over the Chinese Internet.Continue reading

Google Wi-Fi Assistant and Google VPN represent a hot topic these days. The news is that Google is spoiling Nexus and Pixel smartphone owners with an important dedicated new and free feature. A Wi-Fi assistant with a built in Google VPN that automatically connects you to safe and reliable Wi-Fi networks. For now, the feature is only available in a few countries, but it got our attention enough to tell you all the details about it.Continue reading

China has introduced a new cybersecurity law which has taken the world by surprise. Critics are claiming it will worsen the surveillance and censorship scenario within the country. The law could even drive a few foreign companies out of China.

The law was passed by China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, last week. Even though a number of the rules stipulated are already in use, it formalizes them by sending a blunt message to Chinese citizens and businesses.Continue reading

In its latest developer edition, Opera Software recently introduced its browser VPN, or you can just call it a VPN depending on the source you download the web application from. You can activate the Opera VPN quite simply; all you have to do is open your browser’s configuration settings and check the box labeled ‘VPN’.Continue reading

Not everything in the home is VPN friendly, you will usually find that your ISP’s router that they supply you with doesn’t even know what a VPN is, less so that you would want to use one. Thankfully usually with any router setting up Smart DNS can be a simple affair just with simple address changes but there are always ways to make the process easier and I intend to list some hardware here that can enhance VPN and Smart DNS experience.Continue reading

Recently it feels as though we are seeing a lot more news on various governments around the world pushing for the ban of VPN, all citing various reasons but all with a similar goal, to be able to keep an eye on anybody they see fit whilst they privately browse the internet. Where exactly in the world are they trying to push such an agenda? Well I plan on answering that here, it may even be the country you live in, sneakily trying to push such a law through.Continue reading

It may seem like as you can’t really see the government spying on you, you’d be mistaken for thinking everyone is just a little paranoid. Stay vigilant though as we have some bona fide proof coming from The Intercept and more specifically this document that was obtained.Continue reading

VPN unfairly get a lot of flak sometimes, sometimes out of ignorance, others with a more aggressive agenda. This leaves us with the question of do the media spread lies about VPN? I would believe the answer is yes.Continue reading

With the recent release of the Chromecast 2 by Google, I thought it would be important to go over how exactly to keep it secure. It is worth noting the Chromecast really isn’t all that safe, there are some measures you have to take outside of the Chromecast itself to make sure to secure Chromecast and isn’t letting anyone get in to your home network.Continue reading

Anybody with any tech sense would tell you using a VPN is pretty much a necessity in our day and age, with the constant snooping that goes on seemingly left, right and centre. You would think with the many revelations of these facts that VPNs would be popular in the mainstream but it isn’t quite there yet, so I am asking does the VPN have an image issue in today’s world.Continue reading

It is important to make sure you are 100% sure that your VPN connection is keeping you private and you have a secure VPN provider. You can just presume that once it is connected that is that and you can go off willy-nilly and do whatever it is you please. There are occasions where something may have gone wrong. I have taken sometime to compile a list of some easy things you can do to test certain aspects of your VPN connection.Continue reading

Offering a free VPN service is an honourable task. VPNs should be an essential part of everyone’s web browsing experience. A lot of the time though the old saying “You get what you pay for” rings true when it comes to free VPN services, but what is the problem with free VPN providers exactly?Continue reading

I hear all the time from people when I mention that using a VPN on the internet is a very important thing to use nowadays, not only security wise but to keep what you do online private. The response I usually hear from people is something along the lines of ‘I don’t mind if the government spies on me; I have nothing to hide’. I never understood this line of thinking, I tried very hard to come around to this way of thinking but to me it’s just foreign. Tackling the indifference to government snooping on the internet is important and must be done.Continue reading

I think dispelling common VPN misconceptions is a very important job nowadays that is relatively easy to fulfil. I have already written a previous article on this. I find myself having to correct people all the time when it comes to staying secure online. I know many people that think just using an Anti-virus is enough to keep you secure on the internet; it is this sort of ignorance (I don’t mean that in a harsh way) that can get people into a lot of unneeded bother.Continue reading

CactusVPN recently have been working on improving what they give their customers by upgrading to gigabit servers to help accommodate those that can take advantage of such speeds. I am one of these people. I have a 200 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up in my house and I had noticed that when I use a VPN my speeds were being crippled hugely because the servers physically didn’t have the bandwidth to keep up with what I have available here. With the introduction of these gigabit servers I have been able to use a VPN without sacrificing a huge amount of my bandwidth which is much appreciated. I wanted to detail my experience with SoftEther as I finally decided to ditch OpenVPN for it and I have been really pleasantly surprised.Continue reading

There are some consistent VPN misconceptions and I hope to extinguish this misinformation so you have no apprehensions about using a VPN. Nowadays using a VPN online is doubly important, we have all heard and read things in the news about whistleblowing, spying and the like. If you decide not to stay secure and use a VPN whilst online despite knowing this information then be it on your own head.Continue reading

Installing DD-WRT on a compatible router will increase functionality for free. DD-WRT has been around for a while now, it is essentially different firmware for your router. The beauty of DD-WRT is the freedom of choice you get but only if your router is shown on this list. It is also worth noting that if you flash DD-WRT incorrectly you may brick your router, the instructions are simple to follow though so I wouldn’t worry too much just be careful.Continue reading

CactusVPN continues to upgrade all servers to 1gbps. Today is the time to change our first server in UK: UK, London VPN server. You can use the new VPN server right now if you use CactusVPN software or manual configuration with hostnames instead of IP. In case you use manual configuration with IPs you just have to change to new IP in the VPN connection. The information about our servers and other useful information can be found in Client Area, under Package details section. OpenVPN users should also download new OpenVPN config files.Continue reading

It is becoming more and more common for hotels and the like to offer Wi-Fi services for their tenants that means VPN abroad are crucial.

I think the reasoning is pretty simple to using a VPN when you are abroad. I think you should always adhere to a simple rule of thumb. Is it your own home internet connection? If not then you should pretty much always be using a VPN (really you should be using a VPN 24/7 no matter where you are connected but that isn’t for everyone).Continue reading

VPN Split Tunnelling I think is a relatively straight forward concept but the implementation can be somewhat baffling but I am here to describe what exactly it is and why it could be beneficial to you.

We of course start first with explaining what exactly VPN Split Tunnelling is. I think you can probably work out what it is just by looking at the name. It literally just means having two different connections for different things, hence the term split. Your traffic is split between two different networks, simple as.Continue reading

I’m not sure how many of our customers here are gamers but I would wager quite a fair few. I am one myself and have been for as long as I can remember. Another thing that has plagued me for as long as I can remember is Europe getting the short end of the stick when it comes to release dates on many games. I understand the concept behind releasing games on a Friday here in the UK, that’s when the majority of the country get their wages. I can’t help but feel in this lovely digital world we live in, staggered release dates are something of an antiquity and I feel like I really need a tool to unlock games so I could play all the weekend.Continue reading

As all media looks to be moving to streaming due to its instantaneous nature, more and more blockades are put up so that some people are left with an inferior service just due to where they live and usually for the same price as their unneutered counterparts. It is really not fair on the consumer and obviously as a consumer myself I am not okay with that. Luckily we have ways to bypass these restrictions.Continue reading

In the old days, Hollywood movies were shown in US theaters using celluloid film stored in flat metal cans. Back then, these copies of movies were expensive to make and distribute so they would be used over and over again and passed from one theater to the next. The fancy theaters in big cities got the brand new cans first and then weeks later passed them on to theaters in smaller cities. Many months later (sometimes years later), the well-worn movie cans finally ended up in small towns and sometimes overseas.Continue reading

Sometimes I feel the notion of a “Big Brother” type figure is overplayed but it seems every day there comes more and more news that reaffirms my fears for where exactly everything is going and it does seem a police state is the logical conclusion.Continue reading

A while ago I wrote an article that detailed some of the internet censorship that happens across the world and now I am going to continue on and describe some more. I am writing this “series” of articles as an attempt to open some people’s eyes to the extent of censorship that goes on throughout the world, especially to what now are probably the minority living in countries that don’t try and control the internet.Continue reading

In the last article I described in detail where exactly I feel companies are getting it all wrong and are losing out to piracy, now I will share what I feel is the solution.

Now we come to what I consider the strangest part of the whole fiasco and that is geo-blocking potential PAYING customers in pursuit of… more money. Its paradox at its finest, due to various contract agreements, licensing and local statutes that have to be adhered by (like age ratings for example), you could maybe start to understand the reasons why. Continue reading

This past year leading up to today has been a time for the discussion of internet file sharing (or piracy). As the internet continues to grow exponentially and slowly the mantra “there are no oceans on the internet” starts to become more and more true, companies and governments are looking to stop this progress and segregate us all, all in the pursuit of money which, as I will now explain, is the height of irony.Continue reading

The number one “myth” of VPN usage is that it radically hampers your bandwidth. Now depending on what provider you use that may actually be the case but if you take the time to choose one with fantastic speeds in a variety of countries you may well find your bandwidth doesn’t take that much of a hit. Now I should leave a disclaimer that there will always be at least a little speed loss but this is to be expected due to the extra step your data has to take, for the benefits you receive though I would say losing 1 or 2 Mbps isn’t that big of a deal.Continue reading

The news for the past couple of years, last year in particular, has been absolutely inundated with various revelations of our governments spying on us whilst we use the internet. Perhaps its not all that surprising. I think we all kind of have an inkling that this is probably the case but to see the evidence laid out in front of you it paints a whole new picture. One of complete disrespect for pretty much anyone that uses the internet because institutions like the NSA are watching pretty much every single one of us (or at least have the power to do so) as we go about our business on the internet. I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sit quite right with me.Continue reading

Of course here at CactusVPN we recommend you use a VPN all of the time, it’s a logical decision when you take into account the amount of things that can go wrong. If you don’t take the correct precautions when using the internet, its very simple to think that things like “hackers” spying on what you do on the internet will never happen to you. But nowadays it is a relatively simple process for those that really want access to your information. To combat this though it is also relatively simple to block anyone from seeing what you do on the internet and of course that way is with a VPN (combined with the correct protocol).Continue reading

Those of us that play games online will know that keeping latency to a minimum is an absolute must. If you are going to be able compete efficiently you don’t want to be “rubberbanding” every time you try and play online, you simply wont be able to keep up and this can leave and has left many people very frustrated. So when it comes to using VPN for gaming you may be thinking that using one will only introduce another step in the connection and therefore slowing you down and introducing latency problems.Continue reading

As of late we have had a seemingly endless stream of news of various companies and government trying to censor the internet. Whether it be various torrent sites or websites that simply disagree with the status quo, nothing seems to be safe anymore unless you toe the line, which is sad because at the best of times the internet is a place where we can meet other people and experience different points of view that we never would have the chance to in real life.Continue reading